The Last of Us: Showdown
by J.S. Orcutt
Summary: Continuing Joel and Ellie's story as they battle for survival against immeasurable odds. Caught in the crossfire between warring factions, they must survive more than bullets and the infected, but also; betrayal, lust and greed. Experience their haunting past as they atone for the mistakes they can't escape. Can their relationship endure the test of time? Please Review! Credit NDog
1. Chapter 1

**The Last of Us: Everything Changes**

The smell of smoke was filling the garage, implying that the rest of the house was already swimming in flames. Thinking quickly, Joel began shoving whatever he could find under the door. He knew it was probably futile, but he was a survivor. The thought of giving up only ever came, long after the danger was gone. He had been surviving for so long that it had become second nature. Besides, he was fighting for something more nowadays.

"Ellie," his gruff, Texan voice barked, "tell me we've got more rags."

"Fuck, Joel" she began, flipping her backpack around and getting into the main pocket, "I'm sorry, I know I should have just listened." She pulled out a wad of dirty cloth and handed it to Joel, carefully studying his face for any sign of anger or emotion.

"Ellie, you can bet we'll talk about this later, if we make it out of here. For now, just get over to that window and watch our backs, alright." His hands were already fast at work crafting something dangerous from the rags and other scavenged bits. He felt her gaze holding longer than it should and a wave of conflicting emotion went through him. "Well, how's it lookin'?" he snapped without looking up to meet her stare. He felt a twinge of guilt for dismissing her like that but this was definitely not the time nor place to 'hug it out' in a drum circle.

Ellie felt her own flood of emotion - it always pissed her off when he pulled away like this, even though she had to admit that she probably deserved it this time. She knew better and it was her actions that put them in the bad spot they now found themselves in. But still, at times, she questioned if she would ever really break through. She also wondered why she cared so damn much. Either way, it was going to have to wait. They had been a team long enough that she knew exactly what was running through his mind in this moment, at least when it came to the task at hand. In this world, survival came first.

Springing over to the window, Ellie wasn't surprised to see a group of hunters taking up positions behind whatever cover they could find. "Shit Joel, there's at least three more out the back and two of them have rifles."

"Okay, I'm done but we ain't got much time. This roof's commin' down on us any minute. Way I see it, we're shooting our way outta this one. Here," he said tossing a taped-covered tin can to Ellie. "I'm gonna lift this door a few inches. Light that rag and roll it out as far as you can get it. Let's give it about thirty seconds and pray there's enough smoke to make a break for it." His voice was steady and reassuring, never betraying for a moment that he thought they didn't have a chance in hell.

Counting down, he raised the heavy, rotting garage door with a straining jerk, "Go Ellie, throw it!"

"Shit it won't light!" She shouted as her finger frantically clawed the wheel of the twenty year old butane lighter, until it finally sparked.

"Come... On... Ellie!" Joel shouted, straining against the weight of the broken door.

"Got it!" Ellie squeaked, throwing the burning smoke bomb out, just as the door slammed down.

Joel didn't need to look over to know that the garage doors' rails were bent pretty badly, enough to prevent it from opening more than five or six inches. "Ready Ellie? You go first. Take your pack off and slide under, I'll hold it."

Jerking the door up once more, Joel banked on the heat from the house fire keeping the hunters back and, with a little luck, the smoke would be enough to prevent a well aimed shot. As soon as Ellie was clear, he let the door drop.

"What the hell man? Come on! I can't get this door open by myself!" Ellie strained with all of her might, but couldn't get the door to budge an inch. "Joel, what the fuck man? Come on! We gotta go!"

"Ellie just go! I'll catch up to you!" He felt her body slamming against the door over and over. Suddenly gun fire broke out and the slamming stopped, "Ellie run!" he shouted.

Shots echoed from all directions and a large crash shook the walls of the house. Joel knew he didn't have much of a chance, but he might still be able to up the odds for Ellie. He smashed the butt of his shotgun through the back window and pumped a round. Tossing his backpack through first, he dove out the window and was immediately met by a barrage of gunfire. Joel could hear the hunters shouting to one another and forming a plan. He lit a gas-soaked rag and tossed a molotov cocktail towards the voices, without breaking cover.

The screams of one of the hunters let him know that he had hit his mark. That bought him a second to dip around the side of the garage and back towards the front. He didn't know who, or what, he would find when he got there; but he sure as hell wasn't going down without a fight. Racing around the side, he was caught completely off guard when a hunter came around the corner at the same time and they ran into each other. Instincts took over and Joel immediately slammed the butt of his shotgun into the man's face, knocking him to the ground. Jesus, the kid couldn't be over twenty, but Joel had no other choice and put a round through his chest when the boy started raising his pistol.

Reaching down, Joel grabbed the gun and put it in his waistband. He hadn't heard anyone in this group of hunters with a shotgun and knew the sound would catch their attention. Making it around front, the smoke from his bomb was already starting to dissipate.

"Ellie!" he shouted, but heard no response. This was exactly what he wanted, so why did he feel disappointed now, when forced to admit that he was surprised not to see Ellie?

Their camp was better than a mile down the road, on the edge of town and the sun was dropping fast. Would Ellie have the sense to make a run for it or was she hanging around here trying to make a hero out of herself again?

"Shit Joel, two choices - make a break for camp or fall back into one of these other houses?" he thought aloud. He wished that he could just count on Ellie to do what she needed to and not leave him to wonder. Either way he had to move.

Running out in the open, he banked right and hugged the over grown hedges tightly. His eyes constantly scanned ahead for both hunters and cover amidst the rusting corpses of abandoned vehicles. He was surprised not to have heard any gunshots, but was moving too fast to put any thought or hope in that fact. He came to an opening in the hedge and, before he had time to make the decision whether to stay or go, he was yanked to the ground by his backpack.

"Don't. Fucking. Move. Joel." it was Ellie. The sound of her voice worried Joel, it was both firm and pleading.

Before he could ask her what was going on he heard it - the screaming staccato of clickers locating their prey. They were close and, from the cacophony, many.

"Joel, I've never seen so many before!" Ellie whispered slowly, "Not outside Boston, or even in Philly. They're everywhere!"

This town was obviously occupied and it was rare to see such a large pack this close to people. Outbreaks happened, sure, but the numbers were usually kept down around populated areas. Joel could only guess at the reason why there were so many here. From the sounds, he wagered that there were a couple of dozen, at least. Were these hunters using them as protection, the way Bill had done? That was a very dangerous game to be playing but these guys did seem stupid, or desperate, enough to be playing it. Just then, a clicker silently appeared in the opening of the hedge, less than five feet from where they were crouched. This one had been around for quite some time, its massive fungal growths causing the creature's head to hunch over to one side, so far that it was nearly parallel to the ground.

Unable to turn just its head, the clicker slowly rotated its entire body in the general direction of Joel and Ellie. Foot dragging, it crept closer until suddenly its entire body convulsed softly, starting with its head and working down its spine. It was a shudder of recognition. No one knew for sure how a clickers echo-location worked, but if you had been around them long enough and survived... you knew exactly what came next. The clicker flung its massive head back and exposed a mouth full of broken, razor sharp teeth. It let out one massive, blood freezing scream as it charged straight at them, moving with terrifyingly amazing speed.

In a flash it was on top of Joel, teeth gnashing desperately for just one bite. Joel braced against the onslaught with careful precision, avoiding the bites, but this creature was ferocious. Without saying a word, Ellie was on its back stabbing her switchblade in to its neck over and over until it stopped moving.

Rolling sideways and pushing the lifeless creature off of him, Joel gasped for breath, "Good goin' kid." He glanced down at her handy work, "Well that scream was the dinner bell, we're gonna need to make a run for it. Once we hit the pavement don't stop and don't look back until we're across the bridge. Got it?"

"Joel," she paused until he finally made eye contact, "I really am sorry."

He nodded, "I know, you did fine. Now come on."

With that the two hit the street running as fast as they could. Gunshots rang from all around but neither slowed to see who was shooting, or at what. Joel's body was feeling every year of it and he couldn't keep pace with Ellie. She looked back and slowed but he didn't bother arguing with her, he had neither the breath nor the belief that she would listen.

Once Ellie had slowed enough for him to catch up she said, sounding each word out between gasping breaths, "You were right Joel, I shouldn't have looked back. There's... a lot!"

He didn't exactly have a plan for when they reached the bridge, but he figured it was at least a choke point and would get them closer to the general direction of camp, and their horse. The stomping herd of feet behind him were only growing closer and his lungs were on fire. Rounding the corner, the bridge was in sight but their hearts dropped when they both realized it was blocked by rusting dumpsters and that the far bank was lined by more than a dozen heavily armed men. The men opened fire but Joel kept running, he figured it was preferable to be shot dead than torn to bits. Ellie followed, shoulder to shoulder, adement her fate would be tied to Joel's.

**The day before...**

They both had experienced so many ups and downs since making it back to Tommy and the relative safety of the dam compound. Joel wasn't sure Ellie would ever be the same after what that son of a bitch David had done or what she had witnessed in their kitchen. She tried hard to act like everything was fine but, whenever she thought Joel wasn't looking, her eyes would drop and she would drift away. He was never one for touchy-feely and hadn't the faintest clue how to approach the situation. But whenever he had a moment, he would walk over and sit down beside her and put his arm around her shoulder. Neither would say a word but, after a moment or two, Ellie would look up at him, smile and rest her head against his chest. He would rub her back a time or two and just sit with her for as long as she wanted to sit.

Stairing into space, she thought often of Riley or Sam and even of her time in school, back in Boston. She thought of Marlene and Tess and worked through to the understanding that Joel had probably lied to her about Salt Lake. She didn't yet know how she felt about that. On the one hand, she was happy to be with Joel and realized he needed her as much as she needed him. But, on the other hand, it was good to know she had a purpose, a reason for living in a time when so few people did. Survival had been everyone's mantra for so long, but for what? Where was this all going? Not having any answers was driving her crazy.

The compound was beginning to run pretty smoothly. Electricity was up most days which afforded the fundamental requirement for any successful society; a means of security by powering the complex network of electrified fences. In addition, it boosted the colony's productivity and quality of life substantially, by providing; entertainment, the ability to fashion more durable tools and work well into the night. Perhaps most importantly of all, it made hot showers, clean clothes and irrigation all possible.

The gardens were really starting to produce now and food was slowly becoming much less of an issue, though the hunting parties still remained as important as ever. Tommy and his wife Maria ran a pretty tight ship and everyone had their part to play in the community. It had taken some time, but Joel was beginning to come to terms with the fact that Tommy was in charge, even though they would still butt-head's almost daily. Maria and Ellie had hit it off right away and grew closer every day. She was the only person, beyond Joel, who knew what had happened last winter at the resort and the two spent time together almost every day. In a nutshell, life in the colony was going great.

It was Ellie's birthday today, just a month after Joel's, and he wanted to do something special for her. She had got his watch fixed by one of the engineers up at the dam. Not knowing the significance, she had given it back to him as a present. Ellie had never seen him take it off, even though it hadn't worked a single day since she met him. Neither had she ever seen him so frantic or angry when he awoke to find it missing from his wrist. She had carefully lifted it one evening, while he was sleeping and collected it from the engineer before he was up. She wasn't expecting his reaction and almost bailed on her plan. He calmed down a little when she presented the small bundle, neatly wrapped in a scrap of bright red fabric with a tiny, but perfect bow.

"Uh, yeah... Happy Birthday Joel!" she said, more reserved than she originally had intended.

"Thanks Ellie, but you know I'm not too big on presents and if you can't see, I got a problem on my hands at the moment." he said, continuing his frantic search.

"Dammit Joel, just open it already!" she said putting her hands on her hips and looking him dead in the eyes.

Opening the small bundle, his face changed from irritated curiosity to confusion and disbelief. "My watch, how did you? Ya know what? Never mind. Thanks..." he really needed to find a way to talk with her about stealing but couldn't find the energy or words to do it now. "Hey Ellie, you might be a little confused on how this whole gift idea is supposed to work..."

"Pshhhh! Joel, just put the damn watch on and quit making it so hard to be nice to you."

Strapping the watch back on his wrist he was speechless and choked up when he realized it was working.

"Ellie, how in the hell..." he trailed off. Suddenly he was back on his couch that night, twenty two years ago. He could hear her voice, again, for the first time. As clear as if she were in the same room;

"You kept complaining about your broken watch, so I thought, ya know..." her eyes scanning his face for any sort of reaction, much as Ellie was doing now; "Do you like it?"

Dropping to his knees, he did something else that he hadn't done in over twenty years, he began crying uncontrollably. He had tried so hard and for so long, not to ever think back to that night. The memory had faded long ago and became nothing more than a feeling of rage, used to justify any action. He could see her face; sleeping on the couch waiting for him to come home, laughing with her friends in the back seat... and dying in his arms. He sobbed as hard as he had done that night, and for every night since which he hadn't.

Ellie was scared shitless. She figured the watch had to hold some special significance, but couldn't possibly have guessed just how much. "What have I done?" she wondered, as she stood above him too scared to move.

When he was done, she kneeled down in front of him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Lifting his arms, he did the same; and the two stayed there, in each other's silent embrace, for a long time.

"Damn Joel, this easy livin' has made you soft!" Tommy's voice and gentle laugh were unmistakable. "Hate to break up... Whatever ever the hell it is yer doin' here, but we sure could use an extra set a' hands with those turbines. Ellie, how you doin' sweetie?"

Joel stood up and pulled Ellie with him by the hand. When their eyes met he smiled and laughed. Mussing her hair and, with a tap of his watch he said, "Thanks kiddo," and went to work, knowing things had forever changed between them.

Today was her birthday. Joel knew she was still having a hard time and he wanted to do something special, to repay her for what she had given him. He had an idea but carrying it out was going to be rife with difficulties and would have him making some painful admissions.

He guessed that she had already figured out that he was probably lying about Salt Lake, mercifully she hadn't pressed the issue. If she had, he figured that he would continue the lie no matter what the cost to himself. In his mind the issue was black and white - you stand by those you love and do what's best for them, regardless of whether or not it's easy or kind. He could give two-shits about Marlene or her cause and, even if he did believe they could have found a cure at the expense of Ellie's life, it was never fair to ask a child to make that decision. He wasn't oblivious to the fact that this choice was also a little self-serving, but that was never his primary motivation. The fact was, in all likelihood, it would cost him his relationship with her one day.

Perhaps it was because of his own recent experience with grieving that he came to understand how important the process was and why there was so much ritual and ceremony with the burying of the dead. He learned that no matter how much it hurts, the only way to heal is to embrace the pain head-on; fight it until the joy of memory outweighs the pain.

Joel was terrified that Ellie was heading down the same path as him, that she would spend the next twenty years burying her pain until her soul was so deeply hidden, it would suffocate and die. He was determined to save her that fate. Finding the time when he wasn't either working or with Ellie was a challenge, but he pulled it off. Early that morning, before the sun was up, he gently shook her awake.

"Come on kiddo, wake up" he said, still crouching beside her.

"Joel," her voice tired but serious, "You. Suck."

He smiled and she returned the favor, trying to make it as sarcastic as possible. She stretched her whole body then quickly pulled the covers over her head and rolled the other direction.

"Alright than." Joel replied, the smile still across his face as he stood up and pretended to walk away. "I just thought that today was your birthday," his voice deliberately nonchalant, "but if you don't like surprises..."

Her eyes flashed open. She was up faster than he thought possible and she danced across the room to him, automatically pulling her short hair back into a ponytail.

"Hell Ellie, if I knew you were gonna, what was that - a prance? Well... I wouldn't of bothered." He reached in to his backpack and pulled out a small package, wrapped in heavy brown paper and tied shut with string. He handed it to her without looking over.

"What's this?" she asked, trying to keep her excitement contained.

"Dammit Ellie, just open it already." Joel's smile grew bigger.

She smiled back in acknowledgement and rolled her eyes. Inside was a small stack of comic books with a handwritten note:

Ellie,

I hope you like these. Me and

some of the boys have been

keeping an eye out, when we

head to town on supply runs.

Good luck with the cliff-

hangers and happy b-day.

-Joel

"Thanks Joel" she said, smacking him on the back. "I just finished my last one yesterday, well a few hours ago," she corrected herself while looking up at the sky and faking a yawn.

"Well, there's no accounting for taste, but I know you like 'em" he joked bumping her with his elbow.

"It's just nice being able to read, ya know? So who did you get to write this note?" She tried not to laugh but did anyway.

"Alright come on, I got somethin' to show you and we have some chores to get out of the way." Joel motioned for Ellie to follow him. They made their way outside into the crisp, pine-scented air and past the turbine rooms, amidst the steady whine of the generators and the roar of water. They greeted a group of men on patrol before reaching the horse stables. Joel unlatched the door and walked in, "I told Tommy we'd feed the horses this morning, it will just take a minute."

"Okay" she replied. She didn't mind a bit, it was one of the few jobs she looked forward to.

"Grab some hay, we'll start down at this end" Joel said as he grabbed a brush hanging on the wall.

They reached the far end of the stalls and Ellie tossed a flake of hay into the first metal basket. "This guy is new," she said reaching out to rub his nose. "Hey fella, what's your name?" Looking down she saw a carefully carved wooden sign, with his name:

"CALLUS"

Her forehead scrunched and her eyes narrowed in recognition of the name but it took a few seconds longer for its meaning to sink in...

"Joel" she said quietly then, after a moment, "Joel!" much louder at the understanding.

"I wasn't sure if you'd think it was weird to name him-" she cut him off.

"It's perfect Joel. He's perfect!" Turning towards him and hugging him with force she finished, "You're perfect."

"Alright now" he said hugging her back, "don't get too crazy. He's gonna be a lot of work. He's broken, but that's about it. He'll need food, training and exercise everyday and his stall cleaned too. That's gonna be your job from now on. He ain't ready to ride yet either, so don't let me catch you on him, alright?" He looked down at her, hoping his expression conveyed that he was serious about the amount of responsibility.

"I know, I know, I know" she kept repeating, shaking her head up and down.

"Here" he said handing her the brush and taking the hay. "Why don't you spend a couple of minutes getting to know each other and I'll finish up feeding the horses?"

He didn't have to ask twice. She was in the stall, brushing him out before the first flake dropped in the next basket. "What is it with girls and horses?" he asked the horse in front of him, as he gave him a pat on the neck. "Nah, you don't know either."

Joel continued feeding the horses, drawing out the process for as long as possible; partly to give Ellie some extra time with Callus but, mostly because he hesitated showing Ellie her final gift. After as much foot-dragging as he could manage, Joel knew it wasn't going to get any easier. "Might as well get on with it" he thought as he approached Callus' stall. "You about finished up in here, Ellie?"

"Yeah" she replied reluctantly. Of course she wasn't, she could have contentedly spent the next twelve hours in that stall but, something in the tone of Joel's voice caught her attention.

Leading her out, they made their way across the top of the dam and over a plank, which spanned the spillway. They had been to this little clearing once before, when they first came to Jackson, though it seemed forever ago now. The number of little crosses had grown and, further away, all alone by the edge of the cliff was a small wooden monument. Taking Ellie by the hand, Joel led her over and crouched down.

"Joel, what is this?" she asked, feeling queasy. She looked down at the flat face of the monument and saw that it had been carefully carved with a list of names. She recognized many: Sarah, Tess, Riley, Sam, Henry and Callus. The list even had "Mom" and "Dad" and some names she didn't know. Carefully layed out in front were objects to represent the fallen - the toy robot of Sam's, a charm bracelet from Sarah, even an emblem from a Harley Davidson for Henry and a headband she presumed belonged to Tess.

Joel watched as she slowly examined the names and articles; a tear rolling down her cheek as she picked up the robot then slowly traded it for the bit he had placed for Callus. "I'm sorry, I didn't know what to put for your friend Riley or your parents."

Ellie held Joel's hand as she softly touched each name on the list. The emotion boiled over and she cried. Joel's mind frantically raced as he tried to justify a reason not to do what he was about to, the same as he had done almost every night since the idea invaded his mind. He just hoped she would understand and forgive him.

"Ellie..." he said slowly, his voice weak and unsure, something he wasn't used to. He waited until she looked up, tears still in her eyes, "There's, um, one more name for this list."

"Ok..." she replied, her forhead scrunching in confusion. "Who?" she asked, but the knot in her stomach betrayed the fact that her mind was already combining suspicion and fear in to the most logical conclusion.

Taking a deep breath and blowing it out, Joel reached out his closed hand above Ellie's, without breaking eye contact. She looked down at his hand and saw the grey-metal chain of a dog tag, hanging from his clenched fingers. She knew right away what it was and who the only person it could belong to. Ellie's mind went into overdrive, as the forced veil of her constructed reality was torn away and she began shaking her head and pushing his hand away. Grabbing her shoulders, Joel pleaded with her to open her hand and take the pendant. She shoved him back, jumped up and ran across the dam, crying. Joel jumped up after her and let the dirty, metal necklace fall. Between the blades of grass, the stamped name could still be read: "Marlene."

He was forced to take the long way after her, when he realized the plank across the spillway was gone, probably floating in the water a hundred feet below. By the time he got around, there was already a ruckus in the camp.

"Damnit Joel, that girl of yours ran off again! She shutdown the whole western fence while she was at it. I got some men after her, but I swear if she pulls this again, that's it!" Tommy was furious.

Without a second thought, Joel grabbed a horse from the stables and was after her. Barreling down the trail, the woods were a green and brown blur. Up ahead Joel could hear voices but he didn't slow down - he just hoped they were Tommy's men. After rounding a corner and a steep climb, he was on top of the voices and recognized the men and the horses. They were at a fork in the trail which had been heavily traveled and they were debating which path had the freshest tracks. Joel was just about to suggest they split up when suddenly the sound of galloping hooves silenced the group.

The men steadied their horses and took aim down the trail - they weren't the only ones on horseback this far west. Suddenly a chestnut thoroughbred appeared far down the trail, galloping and bucking. Joel's worry grew to a panic when he realized the horse was riderless. It was definitely Callus, bareback with reins dragging. Blood ran down his back leg and, with no sign of Ellie, Joel's heart pounded in his chest.

"Take him back to camp and alert Tommy." Joel commanded, holding his hand up at one of the men's insistence they stay together. "I can move faster on my own. If we're not back by sundown... Send a party at first light tomorrow." He was gone before the men could even nod agreement.

Ellie's head start wasn't that great so Joel carefully weighed the risks of either going too fast and missing her, or being too late to help if she was hurt. He tried following the track but he was moving too fast and, besides, the hoof prints had been corrupted on the steep, muddy trail. He was already a few miles out and, with no sign yet of Ellie, his worry continued to grow. He reached the top of the Hill, where the trail descended, before stopping and deciding what to do.

"Dammit Ellie!" he cursed aloud. Dismounting his horse, he approached the edge of the cliff. It was a very steep drop of several hundred feet, but he was able to take in the lay of the land. The thick pine forest made seeing anything as small as Ellie nearly impossible. Scanning further he was surprised to see several plumes of smoke rising in the distance, in the direction of an old, abandoned town. Joel was somewhat familiar with the place; they had passed through the edge of it, on their way to Eastern Colorado and the colony would occasionally venture out that far when in search supplies. He didn't remember the town being occupied, and felt particularly worried at the plumes of smoke. They seemed larger than one would expect and were quite a brazen sign of those that started them.

Joel had no choice but to continue on. He hadn't seen any sign of Ellie or what could have caused injury to Callus. He started his descent and was pleased to see that the tracks had reduced to just one set, he was convinced he was going the right way. "Where the hell was she going?" He wondered. It did not take him long to reach the bottom even though he went slowly and carefully. The trail was steep and muddy and he could see, in the tracks, where the other horse had slipped several times. Once he reached the bottom, Joel fought the urge to gallop ahead, as every step forward brought him closer to the smoke. He doubted Ellie had seen it herself and she could have been riding right into a hornet's nest.

Joel continued on as the light in the forest grew dim and gray around him. His anxiety had swelled to an almost unbearable level when he finally came to a bittersweet discovery. The muddy trail had been stomped and churned so much, that what had occurred was nearly indecipherable. Joel could make out no less than six sets of feet prints, which had enclosed all around the muck of frantic hoof prints. Glancing around he could see where the encounter moved off of the trail to the right, and into the untamed wild.

"Yaw!" Joel shouted, spurring his horse over the thick vegetation and plunging through, headfirst in hot pursuit. Gripping the reins tightly with one hand, he pulled his pistol from its holster, ready for whatever lay ahead. Less than five hundred feet in, he came upon a grisly discovery - the bloody body of a middle aged man, face down in the mud. Just ahead there was a thick bramble of black berries and Joel could see where they were trampled and yanked, right in the middle of the makeshift trail. Hopping down, Joel searched the man, finding nothing. His heart stopped when he flipped the body over and found Ellie's backpack, still trapped in the grip of the dead man. He crushed his fingers with his boot and grabbed her pack, a sickening rage growing within him.

Looking around once more he was sure of what had happened; a group of men had ambushed her on the trail and given chase through the bush. Callus had gotten caught up in the bramble and probably dumped Ellie in a panic. She clearly got the best of one of them, but what had happened next? It's not likely the hunters would have left her pack, if they had gotten her here.

Mounting his horse Joel found a clearing through the bramble and pushed forward. But, before he could even get back on the right course he heard a scream. It was Ellie! Joel spurred his horse hard, pushing him as fast as he would possibly go. Charging through the forest, dodging branches and fallen trees, he quickly came upon the scene.

Two more bodies littered the ground, one holding his severed throat, futility trying to contain his fading life force. Looking up he saw Ellie, her face smashed in the mud by the knee of a large man in filthy winter clothes. He gripped her wrists tightly behind her back as another man kneeled across her kicking feet and desperately yanked her muddy jeans down below her knees.

"Come on beautiful, keep struggling. You know how I like it!" The man on her feet laughed, as he jammed Ellie's fragile, thin legs up and under her body, forcing her neck in to an unnatural position.

Their backs were to Joel and they hadn't yet seen him. Ellie's terrified and pleading eyes finally caught Joel's. He jumped down from his horse, before it had even stopped moving and Joel raced with the speed and certainty of a man with one thing on his mind.

Without saying a word, he placed the barrel of his pistol against the larger man's head and blew his brains all over the forest floor. Startled, the would-be rapist jumped up just in time to catch sight of Joel's enraged face and the nail-covered board he swung with all of his might. The nails pierced his throat and face first before the board shattered against his flesh, tearing his jaw from its place. The creature slammed against a tree, still conscience and jaw hanging as Joel towered over him and drove the shattered board through his skull. He fell forward to the ground, with his face in the mud and his unbuttoned pants around his ankles.

Ellie rolled to her side and covered her face, trying to drag her pants back up with one hand. Joel rushed over and covered her with his jacket. He sat down and pulled her into his lap, "Ellie, it's okay sweetheart. Shh, shh, shh." He tried to calm her, "I'm here. Ellie calm down, ok. There was another one, where is he?"

After a moment she responded between gasping, broken breaths, "They sent him," she cried harder, "They sent him back to their camp."

It didn't feel right, but he had no choice but to get them out of there. He helped her to her feet and led her over to his horse.

"Callus?" she cried as he helped her up.

"He's ok, Ellie. We found him on the trail. He's back at the dam by now." Joel reassured her as he climbed on behind her.

It was growing dark now and Joel knew it was far too dangerous for them to try and find their way back tonight. If there weren't hunters on the trail by now, there certainly would be when this group didn't return. Their only option was to camp for the night. Without a tent or blankets, it was going to be cold and a fire was out of the question. First things first, he had to get them away from the scene of the crime quickly. He headed further into the woods, not daring to go back.

Much faster than he had imagined, they were on the edge of the forest, very near a cluster of houses. His first reaction was to flee but, on second thought, perhaps the hunters would never suspect them to be so close... Joel slid down and handed the reins to Ellie. Neither had said another word until now.

"Wait here, I'm gonna check out these houses." Taking a few steps forward, Joel stopped and turned back, "Don't go anywhere, ok?"

Ellie nodded and, when Joel was out of sight, she leaned forward a wrapped her arms around the horses neck.

Joel was gone for a while and when he finally returned, it was nearly pitch black. "I think we'll be okay here for the night" he whispered as he led Ellie and the horse over to one of the houses and right inside through the sliding rear door. He hadn't seen anyone, but the smell of wood smoke filled the air. They tied the horse to a doorknob in the hallway and hoped he couldn't be seen through the windows. Ellie and Joel sat down on the floor of a nearby closet, still not saying a word. Soon Ellie fell into a fitful sleep with her head resting on Joel's lap. He covered her with his coat and closed his eyes, hearing Marlene' s final words echo through his mind, "...if she's not raped or murdered first!"

"Marlene was right," he thought, "who the hell am I? Me of all people! To decide what is right for this little girl? Wasn't she better off going quietly, potentially a hero, when all she had to look forward to was more of this?" His mind raced for hours until it finally collapsed in pure exhaustion.

Dawn had barely broken when the sounds of men awoke Ellie. They were very close and seemingly all around. She woke Joel with a nudge and motioned for him to be quite before crawling over to a window and peeking out. The back seemed clear so she made her way through the house to the living room window. Joel soon joined her. They were both very grateful for the present danger, as it saved them from the scarier task of working through everything that had happened yesterday.

"Joel, they've got a roadblock setup, just over there at the bridge. I think that's the only way back to the dam. We must have just missed it when we came in last night" her hand motioned from the bridge to the forest.

"Well," Joel started, "I don't think we're gettin' back the way we came. There's just too many of 'em." Taking a deep breath he tried to remember the lay of the land from the ridgeline.

"The river Joel! I think we should skirt the town and head deeper in. It looks like they're putting most of their guys out this way. We can cut back east whenever it's clear and follow the river back to the dam!"

Ellie wasn't sure what she was going to do after all this, but she knew two things; first, Joel was here because of her and she was going to help get him home safe no matter what and, second, running off was stupid and childish. "You're almost an adult Ellie!" She hollered at herself, "What the hell are you doing running away everytime shit gets real?"

"Ellie, that ain't a bad idea." Joel began, weighing her plan carefully, "You aren't gonna like it, but were probably gonna have to leave the horse here, just for now. There's no way he won't be spotted."

"Can we at least give him a fighting chance? Take off his tack and set him free?" She said, placing a protective hand on his neck.

"Yeah, I reckon that'll be alright. Hide everything in the closet, hopefully we can get it later. We'll leave the back door open and he should find his way out eventually." Glancing around the room, he finished by saying "Okay, get on it. I'll search the house for supplies."

Joel finished searching before she was done. He found a can of peaches in the pantry, which they shared, and some rubbing alcohol, vitamins and scissors in the bathroom. The bedrooms were pretty well ransacked, but he did find a couple of 9mm rounds in the master and an issue of "Savage Starlight" in a kids room. He was pretty sure she already had this one, but he put it in his pack anyway.

Soon they were ready to go; Joel emptied the shotgun which he had strapped to his pack and reloaded it, counting each round - just five. He thumbed the remaining 9mm cartridges into the clip, chambered a round and handed the pistol to Ellie. She tucked it in her waistband and gave a thumbs up, signaling that she was ready to go.

They quietly snuck out through the back door, leaving it fully ajar and crept along the back edges of the houses. Their original plan was to duck in to the forest but found that it rose in a steep, muddy grade almost immediately. They had no choice but to stick close to the literal edge of town. Movement was slow going as there were people everywhere; mostly men but, to both of their surprise, many woman and children too.

Reaching the last house, luck was with them - a small creek carved a much gentler slope between two hills, offering an easier escape path and a chance to put some distance between them and the town.

"Alright Ellie, let's make a break along the edge of this crick and get to the other side of these hills." She didn't respond so, turning to face her silence, he repeated himself. "Ellie, stay focused!" he ordered and placed his hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump. He couldn't tell what she saw around the corner of the house, but this wasn't the time for daydreaming.

Ellie slowly turned to him and nodded understanding but, through her eyes, he could tell that she was somewhere else. She heard Joel whisper "Let's go" and make a break for the creek but she remained motionless as everything became blurry, like a dream. It didn't feel like her in control as she commanded her body to stand and walk out from around the corner of the house and directly towards a group of hunters.

Joel reached the creek and turned back to check on Ellie. An icy fear stabbed right through his heart as he saw Ellie marching directly towards the hunters; pistol in hand, tucked behind her right leg. He ran with all of his might, but knew he would never reach her in time, screaming "Ellie!" as he ran.

It was a smaller group; two young men and a woman, who looked to be in her early twenties, holding a child. They talked calmly, with rifles slung over the men's shoulders, but Ellie only saw one face. Her cheeks were on fire with rage as she moved with the confidence and skill of a lioness during a hunt.

As she approached them, she replayed the situation again in her mind; seeing the eager look of disappointment on the young man's face, as he was commanded to go back to camp - "Come on Chuck, 'least let me watch!" he begged as she saw him turn back, trying to catch a glimpse. The way he laughed uncomfortably when she pleaded with him to help her...

Pulling the pistol from behind her leg, she blasted the other hunter off his feet and turned the gun on her target. The coward was so scared, he fumbled for his rifle, dropping it in the dirt. Without breaking eye contact with the man, she commanded the woman - "Run away now, if you know what's good for you. I have to talk with your 'friend' here." Terrified the woman ran as fast as she could, thinking only of her child.

Piss running down his legs, the man dropped to his knees as he was commanded. "Please, don't kill me!" he begged, but it was much to late for that. Seeing another man run up behind the girl, he screamed "Help me, please!" The man turned away, placing a hand on the girls shoulder as she unloaded the entire clip. Ellie let the gun drop to the ground as Joel rushed her away by the wrist.

Already on high alert, a flood of hunters responded immediately. Joel and Ellie made a break for the first house, amidst a wall of gunfire. They managed to get inside and slam the door shut just as a burning bottle of gasoline and oil shattered on the wall, inches from the door. Still holding Ellie's hand, he raced into the garage, the only substantial part of the house that wasn't flammable.

Smoke was already starting to come from under the door. Joel tried blocking the gap with whatever he could find before turning to her and praying, "Ellie, tell me we've got more rags."

**One hour later:**

They had made it to the dumpsters without getting shot. But suddenly, Joel wasn't so sure anymore which was worse; the infected or the men. Their blue and gray fatigues, gas masks and machine guns were the only calling card they needed - They were soldiers of the United States Army.

The shooting slowed to a trickle as the soldiers mopped up what was left of the infected. Backs against the dumpster and shoulder to shoulder, Joel and Ellie awaited their next move. Suddenly, the electronic screech of a bullhorn demanded a 'ceasefire.'

"Michael Joel Smith. Eleanor Samantha MacKenzie. You are surrounded. Come out now with your hands in the air. We have orders to apprehend you and for your return to the Boston Quarantine Zone. Come out now or we will deploy gas."

Turning to Ellie, Joel squeezed her hand and spoke; "Well kid, this might be it for us this time. I don't see a way out..."

Meeting his glance, her face was full of confusion and fear. They stood up, hands raised high and still holding on to one another's. They complied and took a step back from the dumpsters, when ordered, and waited as the soldiers cleared the roadblock. All the while red dots dance across their chests from the sharpshooters on the bank.

The soldier with the bullhorn approached first; "My name is Lieutenant Jimenez, but you may call me 'sir.'" Grabbing Ellie's shoulder, he held a photograph up to her face and continued, "This is her, take her in to custody."

Joel struggled as two of the men whisked Ellie away. Yanking her hands behind her back she fought as they tried to handcuff her. The sensation was too familiar and she screamed, feeling like she was going to throw up. Breaking free, Joel tried racing to her rescue but was met by the butt of a rifle and thrown to the ground. Grabbing his head he pleaded with them to handcuff her in front.

"Mr. Smith, perhaps I should be clearer on my orders." The lieutenant spoke intentionally slowly, to take the place of his hidden smile. "I am to return Miss MacKenzie to her... 'program' in the Boston QZ. You on the other hand," he took great delight in saying, as he emphasized 'you,' "have been convicted for the crime of treason, by special tribunal and my orders are to execute on sight."

The lieutenant slowly raised his pistol to Joel's head and, for once, he didn't force his mind to calculate the impossible odds of survival. It may not have been ideal, but he knew Ellie would be safe. Or, at least as safe as anyone could be nowadays. He welcomed death's sweet release and a chance to see his daughters beautiful face once more. He closed his eyes and, as the world grew silent, he asked forgiveness for all that he had done in the name of survival and revenge.

The sounds of chaos and hoof-beats brought Joel back from the edge of infinity. Looking up, he saw the heavily outnumbered soldiers taking aim at an approaching small army. He recognized Tommy and Maria leading the charge and, what looked to be the entire colony behind them; on foot and horseback. More surprising, they were augmented by a large group of soldiers wearing the armbands of Fireflies.

Joel's head began to spin as he tried to make sense of what was going on. Reaching a standoff, Tommy spoke first, addressing the lieutenant; "You can see yer outnumbered here, baby-killer. Start by letting my brother and his girl go and ya might have a chance of getting outta here alive." He commanded the soldiers to drop their weapons and they complied, having no other choice.

"No!" Joel interrupted. "Don't get involved in this fight baby brother. She's better off with them and I've got nothin' left to go on for. Let them do what they want with me, Lord knows I've earned it."

"Better off with them?" the deep, exasperated voice of a massively-built Firefly interrupted in kind. "Better off with them? My God, you have no idea what these animals are capable of, do you?"

"You're making a terrible mistake." The lieutenant chimed in. "The United States Army will go to the ends of the Earth to track down traitors. Just ask your treasonous Firefly friends here."

"And then what?" Joel demanded of the Firefly, ignoring the posturing of the soldier, "What exactly is the army going to do that is any worse than what you had planned?"

"You don't understand Joel," Tommy said as he dismounted his horse and stood next to the Firefly leader. Tommy's chin-length blond hair contrasted sharply with Firefly's neatly cropped buzz-cut, but the expressions on their faces were mirror images. It was the first time that Joel recognized his brother as a soldier. Tommy continued his role as liaison, "The Fireflies have been protecting Ellie all of her life. They've even had a small regiment stationed nearby, just in case. They came to me this morning, when they detected the Army's movement."

"Joel," the Firefly began again, "My name is Sergeant Rodgers and though she doesn't know it, I have been one of Ellie's protectors all of her life. After the incident at HQ last spring… we have taken a different approach with this situation. Command is confident that one day soon, if privy to all the facts, Ellie will make the right decision herself." Sergeant Rodgers said, shifting his gaze from Joel to Ellie.

"However, we cannot standby and allow her to be captured. The army _is_ going to kill her, to prevent the creation of a functioning vaccine. They will hunt her down and burn her body alive to destroy every trace of the mutation. And when that happens, her blood will be on _your_ hands" Sergeant Rodgers venomously threatened, pointing the two fingers of his right hand at Joel.

Seeing his ex-comrade's excitement, Tommy stepped back in; "That is what this fight has been about all of these years, brother. You never wanted to hear it, but it's what I have been saying all along: The outbreak, the quarantine zones, martial law... It was all designed from day one as a coupe! A fungal bio-weapon introduced into the food supply via genetically modified foods. They had a vaccine ready, but when it failed it didn't matter, they still had what they wanted; complete, unquestionable power! The Fireflies started out as the last representation of the federal government, outside the control of the military. Our singular goal for over two decades has been to combat these monsters and find a cure! They have tried to stop us, every step of the way!"

Maria's eyed locked on to Tommy, angry and fearful of his chosen inclusion in to the plural descriptions of the Fireflies. Though he didn't notice then, his plans for the evening were secured.

After catching his breath, Sergeant Rodgers went on; "I won't lie to you Ellie, our scientists do not have a way to extract what they need, while preserving your life. But you do have some time to make a decision. Our operation has been disrupted and will take time to rebuild. Until then," he went on as he used his rifle to violently point at the soldiers, "these motherfuckers are gonna be coming in force and you have absolutely zero idea what they are capable of. Just look at how they used the infected to secure this town. We found their 'cattle trailers' just outside on the perimeter. Their intelligence had to have known that a large group of nomadic survivors were occupying this town."

He turned to the others, trying to build support, before addressing Ellie once more; "This little girl is the key to taking it all back and these sons-a-bitches aren't _ever_ going to stop until she's dead! Ellie, didn't you ever wonder why Marlene never saved you from the military?"

She had, but she didn't know what to say, so she let him go on. "You've never questioned why, no matter how many times you violated the rules, there was always a second chance? Why your best friend Riley would come and go with impunity and seemed to know you so well? The irony is that the military created their own worst enemy! In the early days, when the outbreak first got out of hand, they really were still looking for a cure. They continued their research, only now, much more discreetly. Don't you see Ellie? _They_ created the cure within you! They never intended for you to find out, only to be available if needed. But it was the one contingency that they didn't plan for, that will bring them down in the end. They never counted on their mole falling in love with you."

He paused to allow her mind to process what he was hinting at, then continued; "I know this is hard for you to hear Ellie, but Riley was never a Firefly. It was just a cover to explain her absence. They needed control over your mind as well as your body. When Riley became infected, her death set off a chain of events that no one could have predicted."

He saw Ellie wince and squeeze her eyes tightly closed, every time he mentioned Riley's name. Psyops were Sergeant Rodgers specialty and he was careful not to push her too far. Changing the subject he continued; "Since you were young, Marlene bought you as much time as she could. But years past and it became clear; we were not ever going to uncover the identity of anyone else in the program. It had to be you."

"Do not trust them Miss MacKenzie," Lieutenant Jimenez began, sensing Ellie's hesitation to believe, "_We_ have taken care of you your entire life," he rushed as a younger Firefly approached, following the gesture of her commander; "We were the ones wh-" his final words garbled as she snapped his neck from behind and let his limp body slide into the river. Jimenez's men shifted uncomfortably, not knowing what to do.

Ellie was dizzy and her legs weak. It seemed as though nothing were real anymore and she couldn't trust anyone or anything. The ground beneath her had disappeared. She couldn't believe what he was telling her about Riley; there was just no possible way. But why _had_ Marlene not taken her away from the military? Was it just to keep her safe, as she promised?

Tommy picked up where Rodgers left off, "No one expects you to understand all of this, sweetheart. But there is one thing for certain; more of them are comin' and, whether we want it or not...war is at our door."

Wrapping his arm around Ellie's shoulder, Joel led her down the trail towards home. Tommy turned to follow, pausing to tell his men, "Clean up this mess. Burn the bodies." They started the slow march home as machinegun fire echoed through the woods.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter** **2: What a Difference a Day Makes:**

Maria had a stare that was so intense, it could have peeled paint, "Tommy, you have got to be out of your freaking mind if you think I don't see exactly what is going on here!"

Tommy sat down on the edge of a small metal chair, resting his head in his hands for a moment before running them through his hair and gripping his neck. Breathing out sharply, he began his defense, "Mamma, it ain't like that. It's not as if I have a choice here!"

"Bullshit Tommy, don't sit here telling me that we haven't had this conversation before! Now you know I love that girl but, dammit, I also knew that brother of your's was trouble since day one! We have got to think about more than ourselves here. And, don't even get me started on your old friends!" Maria grew angrier by the second and began pacing the small room.

"Now you hold on, right there!" Tommy said, rising to his feet, "You think I wanted any of this? I have a responsibility to those people, Maria - they're counting on me!"

"I'm counting on you Tommy! We're counting on you," Maria shouted, resting her hand across her stomach.

"I ain't disagreeing with you but what, exactly, is it that you think I should do here, cuz guess what? Those soldiers are comin', one way or another. You're right, I ain't gonna sugar coat it, we're in a bad spot. All that's left to do now is prepare for the worst."

"You know, what you need to do Tommy. We can't risk what we have here. If the Fireflies take her, the army is going to destroy everything we have built! Please, just give them what they want; this isn't our fight anymore!"

Tommy stuttered with disbelief, "I can't believe what I am hearing, Maria. You-"

"No, Tommy! I am not going to be made into the bad guy here! We have taken on enough responsibility of our own. We have priorities now! You promised me those days were behind us!"

"Maria, that is my brother. And Ellie? She is practically our niece! I know the way you feel about her, so how can you stand here now, saying this?"

A few feet away, Ellie's back slid down the far side of their closed door and their voices muffled as she covered her ears and rested her head upon her knees. She had heard everything. Her hands moved to her face and her whole body shook as she cried from a deep, deep place within. However, these were different than the tears she cried yesterday, much more painful.

What had happened the previous day was horrific - but David wasn't the first person to try and do what he had done and the hunter in the woods was probably not going to be the last. She tried not to think back to the military school; the sounds she heard at night and the things she saw and felt. It was an unspoken pain that was only discussed amongst the girls through the silent, unearned shame in their eyes. It was all she had ever known.

This pain was different though. It was not the pain of being turned from a person in to an object; something that could be understood over time as the projected sickness of someone else. No, this pain felt wholly personal. It was her greatest fear, made real; being seen for who she was and rejected - cast aside and alone.

She remembered Joel's words, in that cabin not so far away and not so long ago; "You're right about one thing, you are not my daughter!" She shook even more violently at the memory, as a series of high pitched squeaks escaped her core.

Tommy opened the door and saw her on the floor, "Ellie," he said, mortified by the thought of what she might have heard. But, before he could continue, she was gone; running out of the building to the last place on earth she had left.

Maria stood a few feet away, covering her mouth with both hands and finally understanding the weight of her words.

Ellie reached the small clearing across the dam and ran to the monument which Joel had created for them. Dropping to her knees, she kissed Riley's name and held her forhead to the wood, as she closed her eyes tightly. After a long moment, she stood and looked once more at the names, tears still streaming down her face. Moving to the ridge, she closed her eyes one final time as she lifted her face to the sky and stepped off of the ledge towards the raging, icy river below.

**One week later and two thousand miles away:**

Glancing around, everyone looked like a ghost in the dim green light. It was silent except for the rhythmic drone of the engines. He was lucky and had a small window next to his hard metal seat, but was disappointed to find only an impermeable darkness outside.

This was his first real mission and nothing he tried could keep his stomach from flashing between adrenaline pumping excitement and absolute panic. He had only been outside of the quarantine zone a handful of times and by a dozen miles at most. This adventure was going to be a whole other animal, entirely.

He knew how long the travel was going to take but it was utterly impossible for his mind to fully grasp the magnitude of the distance. Until now, his entire world consisted of only a few square miles. He was as scared as he ever had been but found comfort and pride when he saw his name, once more, on his orders. He carefully folded the paper, as he had already done a dozen times and thought proudly of the first line of text:

"Congratulations Cadet Shipwright, you have been promoted to the rank of Private. You are hereby ordered to report to the office of Duty Selection: tomorrow at 0600 hours, for assignment and transfer to your duty location. Package all personal effects in your previously issued size-A duffel, attach the enclosed tracking tag and report for assignment, combat ready."

He was no longer Cadet Shipwright, he was Private Shipwright. He let his mind swirl around that fact again. In this world, the world he had grown up in, there were only two kinds of people: the kind that begged for handouts and the kind that had handouts to give. He was young but his heart was already filled with disdain for the 'civies' he was forced to encounter regularly. Whether he was fulfilling his required daily service by collecting forms from them or serving food and stamping ration cards; every interaction strengthened his views that they were disgusting, helpless animals.

Most of the young soldiers either slept or pretended to but, in a seat facing towards the rear of the plane, a seasoned sergeant kept watch. He was easily twice the age of them and felt every bit of the responsibility he had, to keep them alive.

The sergeant studied his field manual like a bible. Though he knew nearly every word, he felt that it was his duty to ingrain in these soldier's minds the proper image of what it meant to be a warrior. If they were to survive, they would have to learn how to; eat like him, dress like him, run, shoot and even shit like him. He would kill these little bastards himself before allowing a single one to die under his command. He had already seen, many times, the things that they were about to and he knew, despite their ignorant confidence, that they were in for a world of hurt.

Of course they had seen desperate men and women in the QZ before; begging for food and creating a disturbance, when rations ran short. But they had no idea of the true desperation in a man's eye or the savage acts they were willing to commit when they had not eaten for a week; having spent months or even years on the run from other men and the infected. They all had seen the various stages of the infected before, thrashing against the glass and bars at the research station. Some of them had even witnessed dissection or assisted in the burnings, during sanitation detail. Still Sergeant Drake knew, how very little that they actually did. He could only hope that their training and his field leadership would be enough.

Confident that the young men and woman under his command were asleep, he tried to rest up; tomorrow was going to be a very long day. A loud buzzer startled him awake, though he wasn't sure he had actually been asleep at all. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the piercing, flashing red light.

"Five minutes to drop!" a voice bellowed from the open cockpit door.

Private Shipwright blinked his eyes a few times and glanced out the window, similarly unsure if he had actually slept. Below, he saw a thick sea of green trees, wide open meadows and snow-capped mountains; a great river snaking its way through it all. He had never seen anything like this before, in his entire life. Still scanning the surface in awe, he jumped-to, as he heard the sergeant hollering commands.

"Echo Company 2, to the one six two!" he bellowed, drawing out each word and sounding, for all the world, like a cross between a gorilla and hound dog. His men jumped to attention in two perfect, parallel rows, which spanned the entire length of the massive aircraft. "Pre-pare for drop!"

In unison, all one hundred and seventy five fresh-faced soldiers turned to face the rear of the aircraft; the combined 'click' of their parachute ropes, clamping onto the steel cables, echoed like a drum beat. More than one of these terrified, killing-machine children, did all they could to keep last night's dinner in their stomachs.

"Pray now to your God, if you have one" Sergeant Drake ordered, emphasizing each word like a machinegun, "In one minute, the alarm will sound. At that time you will follow the soldier in front of you off of the ramp, at a high rate of speed." As if choreographed, a series of alarm horns accompanied a massive blast of air as the aircraft's rear ramp opened. "Follow your training and you will be victorious! Refuse to jump and I will shoot you myself. Today is the day, that I will finally let you kill!"

The entire aircraft of men and women cheered and screamed. The alarm blared as the company of soldiers ran to meet their fate; plunging into wide-open nothingness. For many, the last sound they would ever hear was the rush of wind as the jumpmasters screamed "Go! Go! Go!"

From the ground, the plume of silent black circles struck terror in to those that saw; young and old alike. The younger members amongst the colony could not comprehend what they were seeing and only vaguely understood as the older members echoed, "My God, they're here!"

**On the misty edge of the colony:**

"Shit, I'm slipping!" Joel grunted as he struggled to pull himself back from the edge. The grass was slippery from the constant mist, and his fingers began to bleed as he dug his nails into the soft ground with as much force as he could muster.

Seeing Ellie running to the monument, everything in Joel's being told him that something was just not right. He ran as fast as he could to catch up to her and dread filled him as he witnessed her desperate embrace of the lifeless wood. She turned and leapt from the edge just as Joel dove through the air to catch her. Gripping Ellie's backpack, he struggled to keep them both from sliding over the edge; with just one hand to slow their inevitable plummet.

"Just let me go Joel!" she cried, "it's better for everyone."

"Ellie please, grab my arm and pull yourself up, I can't hold on!" When she didn't respond, he kept going, "Look Ellie, I know I'm bad with words. I have tried to find a way for so long to tell you, but I just didn't know how. Ellie, forgive me please, you are my daughter and I... I love you! As much as Sarah and far more than myself! Please just grab my arm!" he begged her with all of his might and meant every single word.

Ellie took a deep breath and looked down. Her mind was so numb that it could barely even register the danger she was in. "I don't know what to even believe anymore, Joel," she said, reluctantly reaching above her head to grab Joel's arms. She helped pull herself up by digging her heals into the cliff face, "It's not fair! I can't even feel anything anymore! I might as well be one of those... things out there!"

Once she was far enough up, Ellie flipped around and Joel managed to grab her belt and pull her the rest of the way up. He lay flat on his back, panting, trying decide how he was going to approach the situation. After a few moments he sat up and looked right into Ellie's big, green eyes.

"I meant every word of it Ellie," he began, reaching out and cradling her face. His hand was so big compared to her, that his fingers reached around to the nape of her neck. He used his thumb to wipe the tear from her lightly-freckled cheek before continuing, "All of these years, losing Sarah, I've only been alive but I haven't lived. Not until I met you."

"You say that you care, but then why did you lie to me?" Ellie demanded. "We're supposed to be partners, Joel. You swore to me!"

"I was scared, Ellie and it took almost losing you before I allowed myself to accept just how much. I know it was selfish and I've beaten myself up more times than I care to recount. I need you Ellie, more than you understand and more than you need me. I was afraid... that my love wasn't gonna be enough."

She stared at her own feet for a long time without saying a word and the pain inside Joel grew intense. He was sure that he was losing her and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. Ellie ran her fingers through the damp grass, savoring the tickling sensation of the blades between her fingers. After a few minutes she grabbed a handful of the grass and threw it at Joel's face.

"You can be such an asshole," she said as a tiny smile escaped the corner of her gently puckered lips and scrunched nose. "But," she hesitated and looked down again as uncertainty drove away the hint of a smile, "you really do... love me?" she finished, looking up at his face from the top corners of her eyes.

His slightly aged face and gray-streaked hair still speckled with blades of grass, Joel began feeling as if a huge, crushing stone was slowly being lifted from his chest. Letting out a chuckle he said, "It was hard enough the first time, you ain't gonna make me say it again are ya? Well, if it makes you feel better," his face grew serious again, "I do love you Ellie. I don't know why it's so damn hard for me to say it but, I just figured that you knew. I've never been real good with saying how I felt so I just thought I'd show ya."

"You don't know too much about girls do you Joel? Maybe it's stupid but we need to hear these kinds of things sometimes." She finished by brushing the grass from his head.

"Ya know, my ex-wife said the exact same thing... Right before she rode off on the back of some other guy's Harley and outa me and Sarah's life for good." he meant to be funny and lighten the mood but ended up being reflective.

"Joel..." she said, holding out her hand and not continuing until he took it in his own, "I love you too." She pulled his arm around her shoulders and leaned her back against his chest. Joel kissed the top of Ellie's head as his mind wandered back to everything that happened at the bridge and all that it meant. They sat that way for quite a while before Ellie finally broke the silence.

"So, uh, Joel..." Ellie nervously began as blood rushed to her cheeks, "this is super embarrassing, but yeah... You're pretty much my dad now, right? So... I wasn't planning on 'going there', like ever, and I was gonna ask Maria but I don't think she wants to see me right now, and-"

"Ellie, what on earth are you goin' on about?" Joel interrupted, genuinely perplexed.

"Uh... I'm really sorry Joel, but I think I just started my period." Her eyes clenched in embarrassment and she thanked God, she wasn't looking Joel in the face.

"Uh... Yeah, okay... Maybe I could, I don't know..." he stumbled and stuttered, not at all prepared for this kind of conversation.

Ellie sat there silently, for as long as she could bare, before finally offering him relief, "Joel, you seriously gotta learn to relax - I'm just fuckin' with you! You're too easy," Ellie laughed as she stood up, "Oh, what I would give to have seen your face!"

Joel just stared at her with his mouth partially open; a little pissed but mostly amused and relieved. "Ellie, I swear..." he jokingly warned and, as she helped pull him up, he laughed even harder remembering her 'reaction' to Bill's magazine.

Across the dam, Tommy and Maria watched the two closely. They were relieved that Ellie seemed to be doing alright and for the distraction it offered from their fight. Putting his arm around Maria's lower back, he rubbed the side of her barely-enlarged stomach. Sliding his hand down to her ass and giving it a little squeeze, he said "Well that's my big brother... I guess women either love him or they hate him, sometimes both at the same time..."

"Ugh!" Maria replied as she pulled his hand back up to where it belonged and rolled her eyes; relieved but knowing the conversation was far from over.

Over the next few days, life around the compound grew increasingly complex. The Fireflies demanded that an 'escort' be present at all times, for fear of losing Ellie to the army. The request felt much more like a threat or invasion than most liked, but the founding members of the colony had all been either members of, or associated with the Fireflies and were sympathetic to their cause. This fact alone began to expose rifts in the fragile alliances that were formed amongst the citizens of Jackson Dam, as the settlement came to be known.

Security patrols had to be dramatically increased in light of the conflict with the gypsy-hunters who ambushed Ellie. They were intent on settling the river town, which they were now fully occupying. They had experienced many deaths in their encounter with Joel and Ellie and blamed the plague of infected on the colony. Tommy and Maria began peace-talks with their leaders and eventually settled on a tentative truce and agreement to establish trade ties.

All the while, the constant fear of the army's return loomed over their heads. The Fireflies insisted on providing tactical and strategic aid - a fact that did not sit well with the majority of Jackson Dam, including those from their former ranks. It was of genuine concern that the Fireflies would attempt to co-op the settlement. Perhaps even more dangerous, any alliance with them would, in and of itself, ensure their permanent place on the army's shit list. It was a sticky situation to say the least, and would require careful diligence and planning on the part of the colony's leadership if they were to have any chance of surviving another winter.

Joel and Ellie thrived in the chaos. Not only was it familiar and comforting, but it gave them a chance to prove their worth to the colony, during several intense strategic planning sessions. They had both experienced recent 'action' against soldiers and Ellie's internal knowledge and familiarity with the military were valuable to planning their defense. She was acutely aware of the fact that she was smack dab in the center of all of the drama and was grateful to be part of a solution; she definitely did not think of herself as a 'damsel in distress' and was eager to prove it to the others.

Ellie had forgiven Joel for lying to her but still wasn't sure how she was going to proceed. The situation definitely needed a lot more thought... She wasn't rejecting their offer outright or even her role as 'humanity's last hope', but she was pretty pissed that everyone except her seemed to have a vote on her future. In the meanwhile, she just enjoyed her relationship with Joel and the time they had together. Neither of them were convinced that their presence in the colony was good for anybody but, similarly, felt it would be a betrayal to abandon them in their time of need. Joel was just plain tired and, if he didn't think it was a complete waste of energy, would have wished for a simpler existence.

A week had quickly past since that fateful day on the bridge. Ellie brushed Callus' soft fur before braiding his mane into a dozen thin ropes. She stood back and admired her handy work. Joel finished mucking the other stalls and came to rest his arms and back by leaning on the gate of Callus' stall. Seeing the braids, he glanced over at Ellie with an incredulous look.

"Ellie, what did you do to him? What the hell is that?" He laughed and motioned towards the horses mane.

Staring right through him, she repeated "What the hell is that?"

"Isn't that what I just asked you? Ellie, you really are a weird kid" Joel said, laughing again. When she didn't respond he asked "What's gotten into you El?"

Feeling a bit uneasy, Joel turned to follow her gaze. Not quite able to see where she was looking, he leaned out of the stalls and glanced around. Seeing large, dry flakes of snow descending slowly, he continued.

"Whatdya know, the first snow of the year. Ellie don't tell me you haven't seen snow before, we've slogged through our... fair... share..." he quietly trailed off as his eyes drifted higher. He had never seen anything like it, outside of some movies many years before, but his mind immediately recognized what was happening. He stared for a moment longer at the hundreds of dark circles that filed the sky above and the wispy white trails that stretched to the horizon.

Ellie gripped her arms tightly around one of his and, unable to find any other words, she softly whispered, "Joel..." with her eyes locked on the spectacle above.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Ghosts

"Brrriiinnnggg!" The ear piercing screech of the bell echoed through the double-fenced courtyard. The converted parking lot of an old city administration building served as a playground and drill-yard for the cadets. Besides the constant presence of armed soldiers and the specialized focus of the curriculum, it was not entirely different from any other rundown, inner-city public school of ages past.

Along the edge of the fence rested a rusting hulk of bleachers, mostly disused except for the occasional drill and award ceremony. Laying across a bench with her feet crossed in the air, Ellie glanced up from her book and looked around. Not remembering whether this was the first or second bell, she went back to reading when she noticed the other kids continuing what they were doing.

Ellie was a rather odd case at Prepatory School 19; partly because she was the new kid, yet again, but mostly because she marched to the beat of her own drum. Sure of herself, she never went out of her way to fit in and actually made it a point to be nice to the unpopular kids. Consequently, It didn't take long for her to be at odds with the schoolyard "elite," a fact which suited her just fine. Ellie was anything but a follower and chances were high that she would be moving on again soon, anyway.

"How's it going'?" a young boy said, as he approached the benches and nervously put his hands in the pockets of his dirty jeans.

Ellie looked up at the tall, skinny boy as she closed the book around her finger. She didn't know his name but remembered him from one of her classes; "Oh hey, how's it going?" she replied. She made an attempt to not sound indifferent, even though she was at a really good part in her book.

"I'm James, I think we have history together. Man, Sergeant Weathers can be a pain in the ass, right?" he nervously mumbled, trying hard to sound nonchalant.

Realizing she was in it for the long haul with this conversation, she sat up and put a scrap of paper in her book. "Yeah, I mean, I guess. Honestly he doesn't really seem that much different from any of the other teachers I've had. I'm Ellie by the way," she said as she reached out her hand.

Shaking her hand, he didn't let go until Ellie pulled it away, "Yeah I guess. So what are ya reading?" He put his hands back in his pockets.

"You can sit down ya know" she said, angling her body in gesture. She waited for him to sit before going on, "It's about aliens invading Earth a long time ago. I'm just now getting to the scary parts, but it's interesting so far. Do you like to read? You can have it when I'm done, I jacked it from the library." she said with a grin.

"That sounds cool. Yeah, I'm not real big into reading, we do enough of it for school, right?" he self-consciously laughed, still trying to sound nonchalant.

Sensing his nervousness, Ellie decided to be direct, "Was there somethin' you wanted to tell me, James? I'm getting this whole, nervous/reluctant vibe." her hands motioned through the air like she was swirling away mist.

"Sorry, yeah... Since you mentioned it," he glanced over his shoulders at a small gathering of students, all watching intently, "So... my friends said they heard, that you would... you know, maybe... if I gave you my desert credits..." this suddenly seemed like a bad idea. Somehow he expected this to go smoother, but than again, James wasn't the smoothest guy. He quickly trailed off, seeing the look on Ellie's face. Crap, reluctant to begin with, he was in over his head and no amount of respect from the "cool kids" was worth how he felt now.

Ellie had followed his gaze and saw the group of teenagers, as they quickly looked away. She marked James right away for the pawn that he was, which only made her a little less pissed off at him. Standing up, she demanded, "Okay James, what exactly did your little friends ask you to say?"

"They said that, if I gave you a weeks worth of desert credits... that you would, I don't know. They said that you'd been with a bunch of guys and might be interested in... I'm really sorry, this was stupid I know."

Ellie smacked him across his face so hard that he saw stars. Turning her attention to the group, she saw them all hysterically laughing; until she came charging across the cracked pavement towards them with the look of murder in her eyes.

"Cadet MacKenzie, you have been here what, three weeks? Is that correct?" The aging man with captain bars on his collar began, as he looked at Ellie over the top of his glasses. When she didn't answer his rhetorical questions, he looked over her file once more before continuing, "My, my; you have quite the lengthy background, young lady. Let me make this clear, if you had pulled half of this crap at my school, I would have thrown you over the perimeter wall myself." he sounded serious and let the thick file fall hard to his mahogany desk, before standing and turning to stare out of the window.

Ellie had been in this exact position so many times before that she was anything but scared; more like bored. She looked around the office - it was beautiful, she admitted; leather chairs, highly polished furniture made of dark wood and lots of shiny brass knobs and doodads. It dawned on Ellie that these kinds of offices were the only places she had ever been which felt like the infection never happened. They were like the places in the books she read. The paint wasn't peeling or the ceiling scarred by water damage, in fact there was hardly any smell of rot at all. She tried imagining where this man lived; it had to be nicer than the hellholes where everyone else rested their heads. She played with the cuts on her knuckles as the captain continued.

"So why haven't you been thrown to the wolves, or more accurately the infected, Cadet MacKenzie? Is it because you are special? I am certain that you believe you are, judging by your complete and consistent lack of self respect or discipline. Let me tell you how the military works, miss; The military thrives while these... animals" he gestured to the city, outside of the window, "kill one another for a moldy scrap of bread. Perhaps... that is how I will help you to see, before it is too late. There is a ration shortage scheduled for next week; you will spend a term of detention at a distribution point. Let's see if you understand how well you have it, when you see those rats riot - after you tell them there is no more food. For now, return to your dorm Cadet, but let me make myself clear; this is the end of the road for you. If your behavior causes injury to another student, ever again, I will take great delight in personally banishing you from this zone. Carry on."

Trudging down the hall, she looked back to see if she were alone before pulling out a brass telescope from the pouch of her sweatshirt, which she had stolen from the captain. She examined it carefully before extending it out and looking through the eyepiece. It was cool but really heavy, she thought, before tossing it in a waste can; "Fucking dipshit." she said aloud.

It was 0400 hours the following Monday when Ellie arrived at the motorpool for transportation to her assigned distribution center. She had a very strong intuition about what she could and couldn't get away with; not showing up for an assigned duty was one of the big ones. She had been beaten for this and witnessed the beatings of others many times. In the army you can get away with murder, literally sometimes, just so long as you don't show up late.

Stretching her thin arms high above her head and yawning, she put earphones in, ready for the long wait. It could be twenty minutes or two hours, so she had to be ready for the long haul. Ellie hit play and skipped through the tracks. She liked almost every kind of music, depending on her mood, but today she was feeling rock; the harder the better. Finding a great one by Halican Drops, she turned up the volume and closed her eyes.

Breaking out the air-guitar, she wasn't very concerned with who saw her or what they thought. She pounded away at imaginary strums and notes, as she copied the sounds of the riffs with her voice. Her body finally started to warm up with all of her movement; she had been freezing all morning in just jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt covered by another short sleeved one. She didn't have much to begin with and even less now, after someone had broken into her room and cut up half of her stuff.

The song finished and she opened her eyes, gently panting. Suddenly realizing she was no longer alone, she hit stop on the next track and looked at the half dozen young faces staring back at her. Okay, maybe she cared a little about what other people thought, she realized as her cheeks turned a rosie hugh.

"Oh, my God. They have us on detail with this little freak? This day just went from bad to miserable." one of the girls said. She was about two years older than Ellie, but around the same height and with blonde, shoulder length hair.

Ellie pegged her as just another idiot and, if it weren't for her mildly attractive face and big-for-her-age boobs, understood that she wouldn't be nearly as popular. The girl rolled her eyes and walked away as Ellie subconsciously wrapped her arms around chest, hiding her less developed body. She actually recognized this girl from that group the other day. In fact, now that she paid attention, they were all from that group; four girls and three boys. She only knew one of them by name, the kid James who had approached her. One of the other boys had a black eye, which Ellie had given him and there was a girl with a swollen nose and scratches on her face.

"Just ignore Lindsey," the third boy said, he was taller than James and considerably stockier, "she's just upset because you damn near knocked her boyfriend out. No offense Mike." he said glancing at the boy with the black eye. "Anyway, my name's Eddie. I don't think I caught your name last time, when you were busy goin' ninja on my friends."

Eddie held his hand out, but Ellie was reluctant to shake it. The girl Lindsey, grabbed Mike by the arm and pulled him away as she mumbled something rude sounding. The three other girls followed close behind, like puppies, leaving just Ellie, James and Eddie.

"I'm gonna hold my hand out until you shake it, I'm trying to apologize. You're gonna look awfully weird with someone following you around all day with their hand out, so... you might as well just accept my apology." he smiled the whole time and didn't relent until Ellie finally and begrudgingly accepted.

James hung around close by and Ellie could tell that he wanted to talk, though he didn't say a word. It had been five days since the bleachers and even though his cheek stung for half of that, he hadn't stopped thinking about Ellie since. He felt like such a fool for having fallen for their trick and figured that he blew any chance getting to know this girl before he had really even met her. Thinking back, he remembered that she had at least given him a chance, when he introduced himself; a far cry from what the girls in this group had said to him.

"It's Ellie. Sorry about your friend's eye." she said, not really knowing what else to say. She found it hard enough to trust people and this guy was grouped up with the worst of them.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much, he's a pretty tough kid - my brother actually. I've given him much worse and besides, he deserved it this time." Eddie laughed and was about to go on, but was interrupted by the loud blast of a horn.

They climbed in the back of a midnight-blue armored personnel carrier and sat down as a soldier closed the door. Ellie looked further in and saw the rest of the group giving her a death stare, so she took the seat furthest away. James and Eddie both went to sit down on the bench next to her at the same time, but James quickly moved across from them, after Eddie stared him down. Ellie wasn't quite sure what was going on here but, if she was being honest with herself, was a little relieved to not be sitting alone.

Thankfully the ride took less than thirty minutes; considering the bad energy coming from the front of the APC and the windowless cabin, it would have been excruciating to endure much longer. Eddie continued trying to make small talk with Ellie, but she was hesitant to divulge too much personal information to a stranger, especially in front of the others. Additionally, she was a little weirded out by James; every time she looked up at him he was staring at her intensely but would then quickly look away. The captain had meant this assignment as punishment and, only now, did Ellie realize just how much it was going to be.

Soon, the APC came to a stop and the engine shut off. After a few more minutes of uncomfortable silence, the ramp finally lowered. Stepping out, Ellie squinted and covered her eyes from the blinding gray sky until they could adjust. A soldier directed the cadets to line up at a door behind a barricade, as another line of several hundred people already waited for the center to open.

Ellie examined the line of survivors and looked at each of their desperate, impatient faces. Very rarely had she been this close to them and, perhaps as the captain wanted, she was beginning to feel the divide. She had almost nothing, but it was still far more than any of these people; food, a bed and the safety of the military. Her mind stopped drifting when she noticed two strange people, a thin middle-aged man and a much younger woman, walking right up towards the front of the line. It wasn't just the fact that they cut ahead of several hundred people, without anyone saying a word or even a sideways glance. It was also the way they moved with an air of confidence and these cautious, calculating expressions; very odd amidst a sea of uncertainty.

Ellie wasn't aware that she was staring, until she realized the couple had noticed her. The woman smiled and winked, though the man just nodded, so slight that it was almost imperceptible. She quickly looked away but soon found herself staring again; it was so strange, she couldn't take her eyes off of them. She felt a push on her back and, hearing something muttered with the word "freak," she was abruptly brought back. She suddenly realized that the service entrance had been opened and that it was her holding up the line. She quickly moved forward, feeling like a 'James' for staring.

Inside, they lined up shoulder to shoulder and did exactly as they were told. The feeling amongst the cadets was that these soldiers meant business. Though no one had told them, the impression began forming in their minds that these men and women were the real deal and of a much higher caliber than the rejects sent to their prep school as punishment.

A no bullshit sergeant named Drake, called each cadet up to a desk and issued them a clear plastic sack, containing: an apron, gloves, hair net, paper mask and instruction card. Ellie didn't bother reading the card, but did notice a wordless comic strip which showed a person serving food to a clicker. How strange, she was definitely keeping this one. Though she doubted that she would ever see her friend again, she knew that Riley would find it equally hilarious.

"Last two; MacKenzie, Shipwright, get your shit and fall in." Checking off their names, as Ellie and James grabbed their sacks, they signed a form which acknowledged that they had been informed of the risks of infection before falling back in with the others.

Sergeant Drake stood in front of the group and stared them down, being sure to make eye contact with each one, "Listen up! Inside each of your Sanitation Kits is a card. Because I know that you are all either too lazy or too stupid to read it, I have been told it is now my job to read it for you. Today you will be in di-rect contact with potentially infected people. Let me make myself clear; do not fuck around. The rules on this card may save your life. If you do fuck around and become infected, I will be the one who gets to shoot you. As much as I love killin', the amount of paperwork for each of you bastards makes your killin' almost not worthwhile. Do you copy?"

"Yes, Sergeant!" the cadets shouted in unison.

Drake finished his speech and, after ordering a Private to demonstrate the proper method for donning and disposing of rubber gloves, they all geared up and were ready to open the Distribution Center. Today was a scheduled 'random' shortage day, the whole week was as a matter of fact. Ellie and the other cadets knew not, that the purpose of these controlled shortages were to destabilize and control the populace; only that they were front and center to witness the chaos. It would be a few days before the poor suckers in line realized that there was no such shortages, just two distro-centers away, but it wouldn't matter by then. They could theorize and bitch all they wanted, but it's tough to make a stand on an empty stomach; especially when the districts getting food and supplies are willing to fight to keep you from rocking the boat. It was all according to plan.

Ellie drew the short straw, five days prior and would get the fun job of breaking the news to the mob that rations were gone. The soldiers brought metal trays from their barracks, which contained the left overs from their breakfast, and laughed as they took turns spitting in the dishes and making comments about 'feeding the pigs their slop.' Ellie was appalled, she knew that not all soldiers were like this, but was learning quickly that there were really just two castes in this world. Once the food was nearly out, it was Ellie's job to hand the last person a yellow card to mark the end of the line. Until then, she was stationed at the second of two gates, tasked to punch ration cards after each citizen was scanned for infection.

A group of soldiers stood guard as the first gate was opened and Ellie witnessed the desperate, hungry faces take on an almost rapturous glee. Just two people at a time were allowed through the first gate, then a soldier would scan their necks with a handheld scanner. The machines were notoriously inaccurate and a positive reading, even a false one, was an instant death sentence. The door on the left was marked "Medical Bay," but no one was fooled; once you went in, you never came out.

Before stamping the cards, Ellie had to mark each one with a detector pen to check for counterfeits. If the mark was nonexistent or any color other than red, the card was to be destroyed and the user detained. The line moved relatively quickly and without incident. Before long, the couple Ellie had been watching appeared at the first gate. They presented their papers and submitted to enhanced screening for weapons before being allowed through, it seemed that the soldiers were familiar with these two as well.

The woman grabbed her belongings from a soldier and readjusted her hairband, before yelling in the soldier's face, "Fucking fascist pig!" The other soldiers tensed up, but the man with her pulled her by the arm towards the second gate.

"Come on Tess, let it be." he said and shuttled her up to the scan point.

Before scanning them, the soldier asked, "We're not going to have a problem here, are we Joel? You're way too old to still be pullin' this shit. Your woman here needs to come correct." The soldier made it a point to look at the woman before finishing, "Tess, I know we've talked about this before."

The two held mostly still while they were being scanned, but Ellie could tell they were having a pretty intense conversion with just their eyes. The scans came back negative and the two stopped in front of Ellie and held out their cards. For some reason her hand shook as she took the cards, but calmed down a little when the woman smiled at her. She was so distracted that she punched their cards without verifying them with the detector pen.

When she uncapped the pen, the woman continued smiling but Ellie could tell, ever so subtlely, that the man had grown nervous. She swiped the pen across both cards and was completely surprised when it didn't leave a mark. She tried again with the same result.

"Everything okay, here?" the soldier suddenly asked, startling Ellie and causing her to jump.

"Um," she began, not knowing what to do until she looked in to the man's pleading eyes, "Yup, everything's fine here. Here you are sir, ma'am." Handing the cards back she turned them so the soldier couldn't see where she had marked.

Joel looked down at the little girl, who was covered in paper from damn near head-to-toe and gave her a nod. She may have just saved his life. Though he couldn't see it through the paper mask, her smile was as big as the sunrise behind her. He began walking through the door but paused and looked back at her one more time, just to see the smile in her big green eyes again; continuing through the door he shook his head and smiled back. There was definitely something in those eyes that both comforted and scared him at the same time.

Too soon, the time came to shutdown. Hearing a whistle, Ellie looked inside to see the sergeant motioning his hand across his neck; the signal to cut off the line. Ellie reached into the pouch on the front of her apron and reluctantly pulled out a yellow laminated card. The people nearest the front of the line began to panic; they knew exactly what the card signified. She slowly walked to the first gate as the crowd became uproarious. Her hand shook violently as she slid the card through the fence, to the last hungry person. A soldier put his hand on Ellie's back to reassure her.

Suddenly the crowd erupted and an all out brawl ensued for the yellow card. Ellie gripped the card tightly as her arm was yanked, bent and nearly torn from its socket, "Ow, what the fuck man!" Ellie screamed, trying desperately to retrieve her arm before losing it.

The soldier, with his hand on her back, yanked Ellie free from the hoard and, after hitting a large red button mounted on the concrete wall, radioed for help; "Response Team Charlie, Response Team Charlie, Ratcent 19 - We need backup!"

The soldiers raised their weapons as a flood of bodies swarmed the chain link fence. The entire ground seemed to shake from the furious roar of the crowd and Ellie screamed when the fence started to give way. The soldier protectively jerked Ellie between his back and the concrete wall as they inched their way towards the door; the barrel of his black M4 machine gun mere inches from the faces of the ravenous men and women. As if in slow motion, the weight of the bodies climbing on top of the fence structure reached a breaking point and the whole thing came down on top of Ellie and the soldier.

Locking everyone else inside, the FEDRA soldiers and cadets raced upstairs and took up positions along the roof lines. The soldiers scanned the raging sea of men with their rifles, struggling to exercise a cautious restraint. They had learned lessons from the fall of other zones and knew better than to indiscriminately open fire. After a few minutes, each feeling like an hour, the screeching rumble of APC's echoed through the streets. The wisest of the mob quickly made a break from the scene while those, either too stupid or too fedup, continued their assault.

Joel and Tess had an inside man and were already well aware of the 'random' shortage. Sliding a quickly fashioned shiv into the door jam, Joel cleaned out a case of ration cards from the administration office and, with Tess watching his back, found what he was looking for. He quickly thumbed through a file until he found a form detailing the times and locations of upcoming weapons, ammo and medication deliveries.

"Bingo," Joel said, closing everything up. The two made their way out through an elevated window and past the retreating mass, as the rapid thump of tear gas launchers echoed through the street.

The crowd was dispersed and soon Ellie and the soldier were free. She coughed violently as her lungs filled with tear gas, so hard that she almost began puking.

"Here," the soldier said, as he removed his gas mask and helped don it over Ellie's snotty, teared-up face. "Yeah, CS is never fun your first time or ten," the soldier laughed, before asking her seriously, "you OK?"

She felt dizzy and put her hand on his chest, to steady herself. The tears in her eyes and the fogged up lens of the mask made it very difficult to see. She focused on her hand until the name tape beneath was clear, it read "Jackson." The soldier was much younger than she expected and she figured he was probably only around seventeen; realizing it was the same private from the earlier demonstration.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you. Are you sure you don't need your mask?" Ellie asked when the soldier cleared his throat.

"Nah, you use it for now. This is nothin' and, besides, I've always been a sucker for a redhead." He smiled again then went to help the other soldiers clear the mess and reassemble the fence.

"Well that wasn't as bad as I thought. Could've been way worse!" James said, finally finding the opportunity and nerve to talk to Ellie. He meant to sound tough and unafraid, but was only really propelled to speak to her out of a genuine fear that she had been hurt.

"Pshh, easy for you to say. You weren't nearly torn to bits and crushed!" Ellie replied, walking away. She wasn't one to be judgemental, but something didn't sit well with her, about James.

James watched her intently as she walked away and he felt the familiar burn off jealousy when he saw Eddie run up and put his hand on Ellie's shoulder. It was always like this for him; "it's unfair!" his mind screamed, as he remembered how many times this had happened before. He wasn't going to let this happen again, not this time, he swore it! Standing with his hands clenched at his sides, he continued staring as the gears in his mind spun rapidly. Hearing someone approach he relaxed his body and smiled grandly at them before creeping away.

"Yeah, we were all super worried about you, even Lindsey. That must have been terrifying! Are you sure you're alright?" Eddie asked, seeming genuine in his concern.

Ellie wasn't really sure what to make of all this attention, or the group's sudden change of heart about her, but she decided to roll with it anyway. They hung out and helped get everything cleaned up and ready for tomorrow; they still had six more days of this to go. Before her ride left back for the school, she found Jackson and gave him back his mask.

"Oh, hey," Jackson replied, looking genuinely disappointed, "I didn't realize you guys were leaving so soon. Well, maybe I'll see ya around." He was already planning out how he was going to get this post for the rest of the week. It wouldn't be too difficult, everyone hated this detail. He was supposed to be going on a patrol of the exterior perimeter, something he was looking forward to for quite a while, but something else told him that he would regret missing this opportunity, even more.

"Yeah, that would be really cute, I mean cool." Ellie quickly corrected herself and, a little embarrassed, waved and ran back to the APC.

The rest of the week went by really quickly. Ellie seemed to be hitting it off okay with the other girls, meaning they didn't seem to hate her quite so much. Although she was not completely comfortable with how things were progressing with the newly found men in her life. James continued to be his usual creepy self and Ellie was pretty sure that she even caught him trying to sniff her hair, one time. She liked Eddie more and more each day, but couldn't figure out what he saw in her; he was two years older (about ten in teenage years,) not unattractive and had what she would have described as a 'jock personality,' if she had known what that was. He just didn't seem to fit well with her witty, kinda-bookwormy personality. She didn't judge it too harshly though, reminding herself that, sometimes, opposites attract.

She was most confused about Jackson, primarily because she was really growing to like him. He was so easy to talk and their dorky sense of humor clicked so well. One day she showed him the card that she had saved, the one with the clicker being served food and he ran to his rucksack and grabbed the same card. They both laughed so hard that their stomachs hurt.

Before she knew it, her week of 'punishment' was over and it was time to return to her normal duties and routine. A tear rolled down her cheek, when she hugged Jackson goodbye the last day. It was such a short amount of time, but Ellie could think of only one other person who she had ever been able to connect with so fully; and there was a fat chance she was going to see her again.

Jackson reassured her that they would see each other again, "Come on El, how big do you think Boston is?"

Saying goodbye was hard but Eddie moved right in to be a shoulder for her to cry on; "It's tough saying goodbye, trust me, I've been there. But, hey, look on the bright side - you've still got me!" His smile was infectious and when he put his arm around her, instead of pulling away like normal, she wrapped her own arm around his waist. A few feet away James silently watched; grinding his teeth so hard, they nearly broke.

The hazy blue light of the moon cast a gentle beam across Ellie's face, as she lay wide awake in her bed. She had a lot of thinking to do about everything that happened over the last week. She was originally ecstatic to discover that she had the room to herself but, on nights like this, she really missed knowing that someone else was on the top bunk.

She hopped off the bed and peeked at the cold, empty bed above her. She felt really stupid, but thought how crazy and wonderful it would be if somehow or some way Riley was there; kicked back, reading a book like usual. Of course, she wasn't, so Ellie rested her head against the metal frame and thought about how much she missed her. No advice was coming from Riley this night and, as far as she knew, any night ever again.

She really like Jackson but the fear of never seeing him again was a real possibility. On the other hand, Eddie was great too but Ellie saw him more like a friend; despite the fact that he seemed to be trying hard to make it something more. This whole thing was ridicules, "Since when do I spend my nights worrying about boys?" she asked herself, feeling a little foolish.

The days kept ticking by until finally, after two weeks, a letter came from Jackson. It was just a simple note:

Ellie,

Thinking of you... a lot lately. Stay cool, hahaha!

-Danny

PS: You can write me at:

Pvt. Daniel Jackson

FEDRA: FOP-9779-19, BQZ

Inside, she also found a photograph of Danny, crouched down in front of an APC with some other soldiers. Additionally, there was a small piece of paper that had been torn from something larger. Ellie laughed when she realized it was another infographic. It depicted a lone soldier, walking away from his group, as a hoard of infected waited to pounce. She assumed that it was a warning against going off alone or something but, regardless, it was hilarious.

For perhaps the first time in Ellie's life, she woke each morning excited for what the day might bring. It was a wonderfully satisfying routine: up at 0400, shower, classes and drills to 1500. The rest of the day was hers, apart from the occasional assignment she didn't finish between classes. She sent or received a letter from Danny almost every day, which she would drop off on her way to meet up with Eddie. They would hang out all afternoon talking, laughing and getting closer with each passing hour. For once, everything was perfect.

One day, after class, Ellie was surprised to see Eddie waiting in the hall for her, "Hey, Good lookin'," he said with a mischievous grin.

"Hey, you..." Ellie replied, a little confused.

Eddie laughed, "Come on, don't look so concerned! I have something fun planned. Just trust me, okay."

Ellie reluctantly took his arm and let him lead her; excited but still a little apprehensive. They made their way to a locked door in a lightly used area of the building. Eddie produced a key, which God only knows how he got and opened the door to a dusty stairwell.

"Seriously?" Ellie asked, pretending to be appalled but genuinely excited; after all, it had been nearly three weeks since she'd broken any rules. "Okay, I'll go. But if this turns out to be your creepy rape cellar... you should know I have a whistle."

They climbed the stairs to the roof of the building, where Eddie had a blanket laid out with candles, dinner, the whole nine yards. When Ellie saw it, she laughed so hard that she nearly pee'd. Eddie wasn't laughing back, so she tried to calm herself down, not wanting to hurt his feelings. She was determined to go with the flow and, to her surprise, was actually enjoying herself.

They sat down and had dinner as they made made small talk. The mood was lightened even further when Eddie pulled out a bottle of wine from his backpack.

"Where did you even get this?" Ellie nervously asked. Alcohol was a rare and expensive item and she had never had a drop before.

"I stole it from the Captain's private stores. Want some?"

They filled their metal commissary mugs until they were full and took a sip. Ellie thought it tasted horrible but drank it all anyway. They quickly finished the bottle, just as the sun was setting, and they laughed a lot. To her surprise, Eddie leaned over and kissed her. She sat motionless as he continued kissing her on the mouth, then moving to her cheek and ultimately her neck.

Ellie's heart beat so fast as she felt the blood leaving her finger tips. Was this really happening? The whole night had been leading up to this, but now that it was happening, she was suddenly terrified. She didn't resist him, as he laid her down on the blanket and slid his hand up her shirt. She moaned as her stomach turned to ice. When he returned to kissing her face, she grabbed his head and kissed him back. Her heart beat louder still, until all she could hear was the sound of her own gasping breaths and the booming rythm of her chest.

She suddenly froze; this was moving way too fast. The alarm in her head started ringing the moment he began unbuttoning her jeans and all she could see in her mind were images of Danny. She didn't want to admit that she felt that way, but now it was painfully clear, "Wait," she gasped, grabbing his wrist.

"It's, okay. It won't hurt, I promise." he whispered, forcing his hand down her panties as she squeezed her legs together in defense.

"No, Eddie. I'm not ready, please stop!" Ellie cried and desperately tried pulling his hand out of her pants.

Eddie pleaded with her to "just let go" as he struggled to pry her legs apart; "Please Eddie, you're hurting me!" she screamed and smacked him with her one free hand.

As quickly as it all started, it ended. A loud thud and Eddie was on the ground, holding his head and cursing. Above them both stood James, clutching an iron pipe. "Eddie, get the fuck out of here now before I call for the soldiers!" James demanded.

Eddie got up and shuffled away, but not before managing to call Ellie a whore.

Ellie sat up and composed herself, she would definitely cry about this later, when she was alone, but tried holding it together in front of James. "How'd you know where to find me?" she questioned as they made their way back to the dorms in the dark. But, before he could even answer, she stopped him; "You know what, nevermind, thanks."

Reaching the girl's dorm, she thanked James again and gave him a hug. She was sincerely grateful to him for saving her, which made his next move all the more despicable; he kept his hands on Ellie's shoulders as she pulled away and actually tried to kiss her! She shoved him back and made a sound similar to throwing up, before turning to go to bed; as far as Ellie was concerned, she didn't want to see another guy for the rest of her life.

She made her way to her room, ready to collapse from emotional exhaustion. Her door made a weird sound as she opened it and, looking down, she saw a letter on the floor addressed in familiar handwriting. Her heart lifted considerably and, even in just the presence of his letter, she felt safe enough to cry. She carefully opened the seal but, before she could even read it, the hair on the back of her neck stood up when she heard the door close behind her. Cautiously turning around, she saw James standing in front of the closed door, holding a knife and tape.

VVVVV**********VVVVV

For as fast as time had moved over the previous few weeks, it now moved twice as slowly. The only happiness in Ellie's world came from the letters to and from Danny. But every passing second between them seemed to grow longer and longer. Ellie had tried to talk with the Captain about the other night but left feeling lucky to just be alive. If she hadn't been such a reckless fool in the past, she would have realized that James and the Captain shared more than just a squirrely disposition, but also a last name: "Shipwright."

She was back to being the schoolyard pariah and if the other cadets weren't whispering "whore," to her, they weren't saying anything at all. She was relieved that James and Eddie appeared to be steering clear for now. Although, she would still catch them staring from a distance, which made her stomach violently shake.

She woke up one morning, and could barely find the energy to get out of bed. Not even the fear of beatings were enough. If it weren't for the real possibility of them withholding her mail, she wouldn't have moved at all. She had barely sat down in her first period class when a message was sent instructing her to go to the Captain's office.

Ellie's screams and sobs echoed down the hall as Sergeant Drake delivered the bad news personally. Danny had been out on escort duty, for a resupply mission, when they were ambushed by armed smugglers. "The boy fought valiantly" Drake assured her and he was there to deliver a letter to her in person, which he found among Danny's effects:

Dear Ellie,

I'm not sure what is going on, but it seems that something... important has changed in your letters. I want you to know that you can talk to me about anything and that I will feel the same about you, no matter what. I know that you are a couple of years younger than me but I don't care. I will wait for you El, because I love you. Please write me back soon, whether you feel the same or not.

Sincerely,

Danny- XOXO

The days were dark over the next three weeks but Ellie managed to survive. She was excused from class for part of the time, which helped her rebuild strength before facing the animals in the schoolyard. She lay in bed one night unsure if she was asleep or dreaming when suddenly she jumped with terror as something grabbed her and bit her neck. Flipping over, ready to fight for her life, she nearly screamed with the recognition; it was Riley!


End file.
